Alert archive / Alabama / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 157, NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Birmingham, AL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 17, 2002, 7:49 PM CDT for Bibb County, Chilton County, Shelby County, Alabama. It was in force for 26 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 17, 2002, 7:49 PM CDT (00:49 UTC)
- Expired
- May 17, 2002, 8:15 PM CDT
- In force
- 26 min
- Issued by
- NWS Birmingham, AL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Bibb County, AL, Chilton County, AL, Shelby County, AL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:55 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 50 E | Centerville, AL | Trees were knocked down in Centreville. |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 5:00 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 5 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 17 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1394 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 724 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 167 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 185 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.9
- Supercell composite
- 4.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS54 KBMX 180049 SVRBHM ALC007-021-117-180115- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL 749 PM CDT FRI MAY 17 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... BIBB COUNTY IN ALABAMA CHILTON COUNTY IN ALABAMA SHELBY COUNTY IN ALABAMA * UNTIL 815 PM CDT * AT 747 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 6 MILES WEST OF HELENA TO MAPLESVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. * LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE... ALABASTER...CLANTON...COLUMBIANA...INVERNESS...MEADOWBROOK... MONTEVALLO...PELHAM AND WILTON. STRONG DAMAGING WIND WILL KNOCK DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES...AND DAMAGE BUILDINGS AND HOMES. TAKE COVER NOW. FIND SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER...AVOID WINDOWS...VEHICLES AND MOBILE HOMES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD EXPECT DAMAGING WIND...IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH...AND LARGE HAIL. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO SHELTER. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. CALL 1-800-856-0758 TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Birmingham, AL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 7:05 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Tuscaloosa | 40 min |
| May 17, 7:11 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Shelby | 34 min |
| May 17, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BMX | Perry | 43 min |
| May 17, 7:37 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | St. Clair | 38 min |
| May 17, 8:15 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Talladega | 30 min |
| May 17, 8:36 PM CDT | Tornado Warning | BMX | Calhoun | 24 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Alabama, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.